A multiple-case study of reading comprehension: how do teachers understand and teach reading comprehension?

Boyle, Karin (2024) A multiple-case study of reading comprehension: how do teachers understand and teach reading comprehension? Doctoral thesis (PhD), Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

Reading comprehension is essential to the experience of becoming a reader (DfE, 2013; DfE, 2023) but reading comprehension remains a complex construct (Oakhill, 2020). Much has been written about the process of learning to read and what pupils need to be taught, culminating in a current focus on the science of reading (Shanahan, 2020). Yet little is known about what teachers are actually doing when teaching reading comprehension. This thesis develops understanding about how teachers teach reading comprehension, analyses how they understand these practices, and identifies what influences teachers’ practices. The methodology used to capture reading comprehension teaching practices was a multiple-case study (Yin, 2014) that utilised observations and interviews to produce a rich description of current practice in this area. Three layers of analysis were utilised to address the inquiry. The first drew on observations of eleven teachers’ reading comprehension practices. The second utilised reflexive thematic analysis of the observations and interviews of participants to identify patterns and themes (Braun and Clarke, 2006, 2022). The third layer applied the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis and Grootenboer, 2008) to analyse themes in greater depth and unravel how the arrangements of reading comprehension are enmeshed with other factors (Kemmis, 2012). This innovative analytical approach is one of its contributions to scholarship. This research presents a range of findings that reveal the complexities of teaching reading comprehension and so adds to understanding of these practices. Key contributions of this study include a broadened understanding of how reading comprehension is being taught and why it is taught in this way. It exemplifies the supportive impact of a strong organisational model when teaching reading comprehension. In addition, it affirms the affective nature of reading comprehension instruction and reorientates the teaching of reading comprehension as a social interaction.